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Narrowing the Skills Gap in Iowa with Specialized Training

Frank Guido
Construction, manufacturing, trade, transportation and utilities, and health services make up 54.6% of Iowa’s middle to high skill job market";

Iowa has a shortage of skilled workers, leaving jobs in some of the most thriving industries unfilled.

On this Legislative Day edition of River to River, we take a look into how community colleges are responding to the skilled labor gap in Iowa. Host Ben Kieffer is joined by Iowa Public Radio's statehouse correspondent, Joyce Russell, to learn what employers are looking for in a skilled worker and to explore the best ways to provide job training to create skilled employees.

They also talk with state lawmakers about a bill that would change eligibility standards for the GAP Tuition Assistance Program that gives aid to Iowans attending community college.

Ben Kieffer is the host of IPR's River to River